Come Back To Me
by TheWalrusAndThePenguin
Summary: Booth if left with five kids without the love of his life. How will he cope raising his kids while trying to overcome the grief of losing her? BB
1. The Six of Us

**This is just something I wrote a while ago. I know that for Brennan's character, there are tonnes of kids, but lets just imagine that Booth convinced her otherwise. I really hope you like it! I had fun writing new characters. **

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**_Booth_**

'Morning, Daddy!'

Seeley Booth woke as his eight year old daughter Katie launched herself onto his bed, landing heavily on his chest.

'Morning, sweetheart,' he said sleepily as he kissed her head. He breathed in her smell, trying to savour the smell that was so like that of her mother. _Why did you leave me, baby?_ He thought as he almost always did as he woke up. _I can't do this alone. I need you to help me. I can't raise four kids by myself. _He quickly pushed aside his thoughts as Katie wrapped her arms around his neck.

'I love you daddy,' she said quietly.

'I love you too, gorgeous,' he replied, wrapping his strong arms around her. He would do anything to protect her, to protect them. He thought of his kids; Parker who was twenty-three yet still had the cheeky flair of his six year old self, Meg, who was seventeen and could out-mature Parker any day, Lucy who was thirteen and constantly left Booth baffled at how to deal with her teenage mood swings, Katie who was eight and was constantly reminding Booth of things he had to do around the house, and finally his two year old son, Oliver.

Booth stood up, wearing his pyjama pants and old FBI shirt, easily picking Katie up and swinging her over his shoulder. She laughed and hung limply.

'Look, daddy, I'm a sack of potatoes!' she yelled. Booth chuckled to himself as he entered the kitchen, putting Katie down on one of the kitchen chairs.

'Could you do me a favour, sweetheart?' he asked. 'Can you-'

'Set the table and get breakfast ready?' she said with a grin. Booth nodded, kissing her softly on the forehead before walking down the hallway to Lucy and Meg's rooms. He went to Meg's room first, gently opening her door and walking to her bed.

'Meg, possum, it's time to get up,' he said, pushing a clump of auburn locks off of her face and she stirred awake. She slowly opened her eyes, her dazzling blue eyes looking up at him. He looked down at his eldest daughter and felt his breath catch in his throat as he noted the similarities between her and Temperance.

'What are you thinking, dad?' she asked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up.

'Just thinking about how much you look like your mother,' he whispered. He looked down at his hands as he sat on the edge of her bed.

'Oh, dad,' she said, wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her tightly. 'I miss her.'

'I miss her too, Meg.' He pulled back, patting her on the shoulder before standing up and quickly changing the subject. 'You better get up and get ready for school. Come downstairs after your shower for breakfast.'

'Dad?'

Booth spun around.

'Yes, sweetie,' he said, his hand resting on the open door.

'You know we can talk about this, don't you?' Meg asked. 'About what happened with mum, I mean. Just because you're an FBI agent and all that doesn't mean that you can't show us your feelings.'

'I, um…I think your Aunty Angela would be best to talk to about all that,' he said dismissively, quickly walking out of the room to avoid the conversation.

He walked to Lucy's room, opening her door a bit more forcefully than Meg's, knowing that Lucy could sleep through almost anything. He sat on the edge of Lucy's bed and gently shook her shoulders until she stirred, rolling away from him.

'One more minute,' she mumbled.

'No, now,' he said sternly, though a smile tugged at his lips. She opened her eyes, looking up at him. Booth instantly saw Temperance in Lucy's bright blue eyes. He couldn't refuse her anything while she looked at him like that.

'Fine, one more minute,' he smiled softly. 'I'll go and wake your brother and by the time I get back, you better be up and dressed.'

'Parker or Ollie?' she asked, knowing that Ollie woke at the drop of a hat and Parker could take hours to wake up.

'Ollie,' Booth grinned, before standing up and walking out of her room.

Next was Oliver. Booth smiled as he remembered the argument he and Tempe had before they bought the house that he now lives in. She was persistent to have a room for each child while Booth thought that that would be impossible to pay for. She covered that, of course. So in their four bedroom house they did have a room for each child until Parker moved in, but he insisted that the study would be fine for him. And then Ollie came along, so they were forced to put him in their room until he was old enough to sleep throughout the night and then moved him into Katie's room. Luckily Katie loved sharing her room with her little brother and relished every moment.

Booth pushed open Ollie and Katie's door and made his way to Ollie's cot. He plucked the two year old out of the cot, resting him on his hip as Ollie began to wake up.

'Dadda?' he mumbled.

'That's right, matey,' Booth replied, as he walked back to the kitchen to find Meg sitting at the table by herself eating a bowl of cereal and reading a biology textbook while Lucy munched on a piece of toast on the couch watching MTV and Katie unloaded the dishwasher. Booth grinned, setting Ollie down in his high chair where Katie had already put his toast on a plate.

He took their lunches out of the fridge, putting them on the counter and double checking the contents.

'Girls, your lunches are here,' he said. 'I'm going to go and wake Parker.'

Booth walked to the study, opening the door to find his eldest son sprawled on his stomach over the single bed, the doona fallen around his hips, revealing his bare chest, skinny as always and boxer shorts. His shaggy blonde hair was covering half his face showing a couple of day's stubble underneath. Booth chuckled as he noticed the string of drool dripping down onto his pillow. Booth stepped over the piles of clothes and CD cases as he made his way to Parker's bed.

'Park, it's time to get up,' he said. He nudged Parker's shoulder before gently slapping his cheek.

'Ahhh,' Parker moaned into his pillow as he slowly woke up. 'Dad, I think you forget that I don't go to school anymore. I don't have to get up until I'm hungry.'

'Yeah, I know, but I need you to look after Ollie for me today,' he said. Parker opened his eyes, looking up at his father. Parker knew what his dad had been through and knew that he had to help him.

'Alright,' Parker mumbled, sitting up and pushing his hair out of his eyes.

'Thanks, Park,' Booth said, standing up and ruffling his eldest son's hair.

'What time will you be home?' Parker asked.

'About six-thirty to seven,' Booth said quietly.

'Do you want me to pick the girls up from school?'

'Yeah, thanks Park,' Booth walked out of the study and into his own room. He closed the door behind him, taking in a deep breath. He quickly took his clothes off before entering his bathroom, turning on the shower. He stepped under the water, feeling as it slowly turned hot. He leant against the wall, wishing his life back to the way it was a year ago.

Ten minutes later Booth was dressed in his black suit and dark blue tie. He didn't feel the need to wear his flashy ties and belt buckles anymore, all he felt was empty. The kids were all he had left.

'School time!' he announced as he walked back into the kitchen, finding Meg and Parker washing the breakfast dishes while talking intently about whether The Beatles or The Rolling Stones were more influential in the modernisation of rock music. Katie and Lucy were watching a re-run of The Simpsons while Ollie sat next to them playing with his building blocks. They all looked up, groaning. 'Come on girls! Let's get going.' Katie, Lucy and Meg all grabbed their lunches and their bags before following Booth to the front door.

'Have fun, girls!' Parker said in a high voice, his father's charm smile forming on his lips. Meg was at his side in two strides, raising a hand to ruffle his hair.

'Rotten step-brother,' she hissed, with a mock-frustrated smile. Parker caught her in a gentle head lock, watching as her shoulder-length auburn hair fell over her face. In a couple of seconds Meg had Parker flipped over her head, knocking the wind out of him as he landed on the wooden floorboards. Booth chuckled, thinking about how much she reminded him of Tempe.

'Have a good day, Park!' she called, grinning madly.

'See ya, Parker,' Katie yelled.

'Goodbye, Parker!' Lucy yelled.

'Bye, Park, look after Ollie,' Parker nodded, scampering to his feet and picking up Ollie to rest him on his hip.

'Have a good day, dad,' Parker said as the front door closed.

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**Thanks for reading! Review if you liked it! More will be up soon. **


	2. Trying To Look After You

**Here't the next chap, thanks for the reviews! It's a bit of a weird story, but hope you like it regardless. **

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Booth looked at his watch. 2:30pm. He took in a deep breath as he looked around his office. A picture frame with three pictures on his desk reflected the evening sun, drawing his attention to it. He looked at the pictures that had occupied his thoughts so regularly. They were of him and Temperance two years after they had started dating. Booth remembered the day like it was yesterday, even though it was a good fifteen years ago. Meg had been born, but Angela and Hodgins were looking after her that day and Booth had decided to take Tempe out on a picnic. They had stayed in the gardens for hours, lying on a picnic rug in each others arms as they basked in the presence of each other. They had gotten an elderly woman to take a few photos of them, leaving Booth the pictures he had now. They were all close-ups, one showing Booth with his arms around Tempe's waist and her arms around his neck, looking up at the camera with an open-mouthed smile. Both of them held expressions of overwhelming happiness. The second picture was of them lying on the rug entangled in each other, looking in each others eyes. The third was Tempe resting her head on Booth's shoulder, content. Booth's arms were wrapped protectively around her and he was smiling equally as contently as Tempe.

There was a small picture next to those pictures, a picture of them at least a year ago. It was of Angela, Hodgins and their little girl Bella, Zach, Booth, Tempe, Meg, Lucy, Katie, Parker and a very young Ollie.

'Agent Booth?'

Booth looked up to see the director of the FBI, Charlie Hawkins standing at his door.

'Yes, sir,' Booth answered, sitting up quickly and turning his attention away from his family.

'Are you alright, Agent Booth?' he asked.

'I'm fine,' he answered. 'Just thinking.'

'I need you to go to the Jeffersonian,' Hawkins said with a nod. 'You have a new case, your partner Dr Addy will need to be informed.' Booth nodded, standing up and taking the file off Hawkins.

'I'll be over there as soon as I can, sir,' he said, taking his jacket and walking out of the office.

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Booth arrived home at half-past seven. He opened the door to the delicious smell of lasagne. He took in a deep breath, walking into the lounge room to find Parker and Meg sitting on one couch and Katie on the other.

'Hey dad,' they said in unison as they looked up to see him.

'Hey kids,' he replied, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it up next to door. 'Where are Lucy and Ollie?'

'Ollie's in bed,' Parker said without looking up from the TV.

'And Lucy?' he asked, no-one replied. They looked everywhere but at him. 'And Lucy?' he repeated, more sternly, turning to look at Meg, who had met his eye-line. 'Meghan Christine Brennan-Booth, where is Lucy?'

'She's out with friends,' Meg muttered. Booth walked over to the front of the couches, switching the TV off. He looked at the three of them and couldn't stop the rising feeling of emptiness in his stomach that he felt every time the six of them were apart.

'Why don't I believe you?' he asked Meg, looking her directly in the eyes.

'Well, I better get going,' Parker said, standing up.

'No you don't, Parker!' Booth replied, pushing Parker back down. 'Do you know where Luce is?'

'I have no idea,' Parker replied, his face unreadable. Booth looked at him, trying to find some sign of the truth. 'Dad, you taught me everything there is to know about staying unreadable. Do you really think that I'm going to snap with just you staring me down?'

'Dad, don't panic,' Meg began slowly. 'But she's out with this guy from school. It's Friday night and she just wants to get out.'

'Where'd she go?' he asked, standing up straight.

'Dad, please don't go after her,' Meg begged.

'I can't have my daughter roaming the streets at thirteen years old with some boy!' he yelled.

'How about this, dad,' Meg suggested. 'How about I call Luce and get her to meet me out the front of…where she is at nine o'clock. Then she won't hate you for weeks and you can sleep well not thinking about where she is.'

'Alright,' Booth sighed, sitting down next to Katie. He really didn't feel like arguing with anyone.

'I've got to go and finish some stuff for work,' Parker sighed, standing up. 'I'll see you guys in the morning.' Booth looked at his son, eyeing his grown up appearance. Parker worked part-time as a graphic designer at an advertising company. Booth was glad that his son didn't want to go into serving for his country as he couldn't stand seeing Parker's kind nature being torn apart by war.

By quarter to nine, Booth was curled up on the couch with Katie lying beside him, his right arm wrapped protectively around her, both fast asleep. Meg stood up, grabbing her jacket and walked out of the door unheard.

Thirty minutes later Meg and Lucy returned, Lucy slightly sour about having to cut her date early. They both looked towards the lounge room as they heard their father talking. After a couple of seconds they realised he was sleep talking.

'Luce, go to Parker's room and grab him, I'll put Katie to bed and meet you in my room in a while. Dad needs to be softened up first,' Meg told Lucy and she nodded, walking down the hallway.

Meg walked to the side of the couch. She gently plucked Katie out of Booth's arms and carried her to her room, putting her into bed and closing the door behind her. She walked back to the lounge room and sat in the empty spot that Katie had occupied.

'Temperance,' Booth mumbled in his sleep, shifting restlessly. 'Don't leave me, baby. Please, Bones, don't leave me…'

'Dad,' Meg said, nudging him awake. 'Wake up, dad.' Booth sat up, gasping before looking around to see Meg.

'Sorry, sweetie,' he said, resting his hand on her shoulder. 'Was I talking in my sleep?'

'Yeah, you were calling for mum,' Meg said quietly.

'I know,' he whispered. 'I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning.'

'Dad, please talk to me,' Meg said as he stood up. 'I need someone to talk to about this and I know that you miss mum, but I do too. And so do Luce and Katie, we're all hurting. You have to talk about it someday.'

'Not today,' he said dismissively as he turned to head to his bedroom. He spun around when he heard a sob. Meg had her head in her hands, her back shaking with great sobs. He rushed to her side, wrapping her in his arms instantly. She turned into his shoulder, tucking her head in the nook of his neck and wrapping her arms around him. Booth felt his shoulder grow wet as he held his eldest daughter close to him, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Despite his best efforts he felt a tear run down his cheek and into her hair.

'I'm sorry, baby,' he whispered into her hair. 'I've been a lousy father.'

'No, you haven't, dad,' she sobbed. 'You lost mum, I know she meant everything to you.'

'You kids mean everything to me,' he replied softly.

'But before us, all you guys had was each other and now you don't have anyone,' she reasoned.

'I have you,' he said as Meg pulled back, wiping her eyes.

'That's not the same dad, and you know it.'

'I miss her everyday,' he admitted. 'I see her in you…' he took a deep breath before continuing. 'And Luce and Katie…even Ollie. I see things that remind me of her everywhere, like at work, at home, the diner, even streets and monuments remind me of her. I can't escape the fact that I feel like a piece of my heart has been ripped out. I loved her so much, so, so much. For so long she was my life, even when we were just partners I could barely live two consecutive days without seeing her.' He looked down at his hands, not believing that he had admitted that to his seventeen year old daughter. He felt her cup his cheek and lift his head to look at her.

'I know how much you loved her,' Meg said. 'But that love doesn't have to be taken away from you. You can take as much time as you want to grieve. No one expects you to move on so quickly, but you need to be able to talk to us about her. Mum would have wanted you to move on eventually and you've been a great dad to us, but you have to be able to relax.'

'You've talked about this with Lucy?' he asked.

'Yes,' Meg replied bluntly. 'We've talked a lot. Parker, Luce and I talk about it all the time, sometimes with Katie, but obviously not as in depth.'

'I didn't realise,' Booth murmured.

'It's really good talking about it,' Meg smiling slightly. 'We talk about her, what we remember; you know the good times and sometimes the bad. She was a great mum.'

'And a great wife,' Booth agreed, nodding.

'Would you be happy to talk about it with us?' Meg asked. 'Cause we sometimes feel like we're tip-toeing around you when talking about her.'

'Don't feel like that,' he looked into her eyes. 'If you want to talk about it, you can talk with me.'

'This isn't about us, dad,' she begged him to understand her. 'This is about you. We want you to be alright.'

'I'm fine.'

'You're not fine! Parker's room is right next to yours remember? He hears you calling for mum at night, sometimes even I do. You talk a lot in your sleep. Sometimes Katie comes to sleep in my bed when you're being too loud. We just want what's best for you dad.'

'I'll try,' he said quietly. 'I'll try to talk about it with you guys. You have to understand though, losing Temperance was the hardest thing that's ever happened to me and I'm still recovering.'

'Dad, you're a great man and there are a lot of people to support you,' Meg said, a sparkle in her eye. She stood up, holding her hand out for him to take. 'Luce and Park are waiting in my room, if you want to talk now. Take your time.'

Booth nodded, standing up and following Meg to her room, before stopping out the front.

'You go in, I've just got to get something,' he said, walking to his room. He walked to the bookshelf, pushing past numberless science books until he got to the photo albums. He pulled out an old black album, clutching it in his right hand as he walked to Meg's room. He heard Lucy's voice from inside the room.

'…and then dad said "Are you warm?" and mum said "as snug as a bed in a rug", remember, when we were camping?' hushed laughter echoed throughout the small room as Booth gently pushed open the door to find Meg, Parker and Lucy sitting cross-legged in their pyjamas on Meg's double bed.

'Can I join you?' he asked. They all looked up at him with a look of somewhat surprise. He guessed that they thought he tried to avoid it again. They all nodded, Parker and Lucy scooting over closer to Meg to make room for him. Booth tucked his legs under him, feeling content with spending time with his three eldest children.

'What's with the tie?' Lucy asked with a small smile. 'You're home now.' She reached over and tugged the tie over his head, throwing it to the corner of the room. They all laughed and looked down at the thick leather album he held onto in his lap.

'What's that?' Parker asked.

'It's something Angela made for Tempe and I last year. I Just wanted to show you guys something,' Booth replied. 'I don't really know what you guys talk about here, but I thought you might want to see some pictures of before Luce and Meg were born. The album's pretty out of order, but you'll get the idea.' All of their faces lit up at the thought of seeing pictures of their mother when she was younger. Booth opened the first page, the cover landing with a thump on the bed. The first page had two pictures. One was of Booth and Tempe over eighteen years ago. They were both sitting in what looked like a desert, Booth's jacket askew and his tie hanging loose around his neck. His shirt was dusty, but it was nothing compared to the dust-covered image of Tempe, her hair embedded with dirt and her face a light brown. They were looking into each others eyes while clearly laughing. All four of them looked at it as they passed it around the small circle.

'Were you two together then?' Meg asked.

'No,' Booth chuckled. 'We were just partners then, but I already knew that I was falling in love with her. That was when Bones and Hodgins went and got themselves kidnapped by this guy we nicknamed the 'Gravedigger'. He buried them alive in your mum's car. It was so hard trying to find them. I thought I'd lost her, but Hodgins and her thought of an idea to cut open the air bags and seats to get more air. Then, using some squinty thing, they blew the windscreen open. As they were doing this we'd just arrived at the area, but it was so big, we thought we'd never find them in time. Then I saw this puff of smoke,' a grin overcame Booth's face. 'I ran as fast as I could towards it and dug until I found her. After pulling her out we just lay there and started laughing. I don't know why, relief I guess.' He looked up to see all three looking at him intently. Lucy traced the outline of Tempe's face with the tip of her thumb.

'She loved you too,' she said quietly.

'She'd never admit it though,' Booth replied with a grin.

'Would you have?' Meg asked.

'Nah, course not,' Booth said, the grin remaining on his face. 'Partners and nothing more was pretty much what we lived by for three years before we finally accepted that it was time.'

'Is this your wedding?' Parker asked, intrigued as he pointed to a picture of Booth in a suit and Tempe in a long dress hugging each other at an altar. Booth couldn't help but laugh out loud.

'This is Hodgins and Angela's first attempt at a wedding,' he said through a chuckle. 'I admitted that I'd helped her father and she…just hugged me in front of everyone. Then we pulled apart and Hodgins and Angela were waiting for us to move so they could get to the priest. We were so worried that people would think that we were more than partners.'

An hour later Booth was leant up against the pillows of Meg's bed, Katie tucked under one arm and Meg under the other. Parker was lying on his side next to Katie.

'This is when we got married,' he said quietly, knowing that the three of them were asleep. He kissed Meg and Katie heads before stroking Temperance's cheek on their wedding photo.

'Goodnight, my love,' he whispered. 'Look after Parker, Ollie and our girls for me, baby.' He then closed the album, putting it to the end of the bed before lying down and allowing himself to fall asleep.

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**Awww! Cute little BB love. There will be actual BB fluff next chap, so hang in there! Review if you want!**


	3. Come Back To Me

**Here's the next chap. Sorry, it's a bit short, but I should have the next chap up by tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing! **

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Booth woke slowly, lifting his head when he felt arms wrapped around him. He noticed that he was in his own bed, with Temperance Brennan-Booth looking down at him. He instantly pulled her towards him, nuzzling his head into her soft hair and breathing in her scent.

'Please tell me it was all a dream,' he begged, a tear escaping from one of his eyes and rolling into her hair. She gently pulled his head up to meet her eye-line.

'I'm sorry, Seeley,' she whispered, placing a short kiss on his lips. He looked at her, a look of pain and despair covering his face.

'You're really gone?' he asked, suddenly realising he must be dreaming. She nodded, her eyes closed.

'I'm so sorry that I left you and the kids,' she said as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him as he nestled his head into the nook of her neck, never wanting to let go.

'Come back to me,' he said. 'Please, Temperance.'

'You know I can't do that, baby,' she replied. 'You call to me every night. Every day for that matter. I can't stay with you forever.'

'You can,' he sobbed, clenching his arm muscles around her to show how much he never wanted to let her go. 'You can.'

'Booth, it's over. It's time to let go and move on,' he looked up at her.

'But I still love you,' he said, his eyes filled with unshed tears. 'I'm not ready to let you go.'

'I love you too, Seel,' she whispered. 'But you have to move on. I don't want you living like this. You try to look strong, but I can see that you're not doing too well. Maybe you should take some time off work.'

'Why do you come to me every night?' he asked, ignoring her suggestion.

'Because you call for me every night,' she repeated. 'You know that I can't resist you when you sound so desperate.' She smiled softly, kissing him again. He felt his eyes start to droop and clutched her impossibly closer to him.

'I don't want to wake up,' he said into her shoulder, kissing the skin gently.

'I'll be here tomorrow night,' she promised.

'What happens when I don't call for you?' he asked, suddenly worried. 'What happens when my subconscious stops grieving and I stop calling you in my sleep?'

'I'll stop coming,' she replied simply. 'And you'll stop thinking about me all hours of the day.'

Booth closed his eyes, for he wanted the pain to go away, but he couldn't bear to stop thinking about his Temperance.

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**Thanks for reading! Review if you want!**


	4. Meg's Side of Things

**Here's the next chap, it was written a while ago, so I'm not sure about it. I was trying to explore the different kids and their relationship with Booth as a father. Here you go!**

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_Meg_

Meg got up early, needing a break from the hectic morning that involved six people trying to get ready. She showered and got dressed into a pair of jeans and a singlet top, quickly making her way to the kitchen to write her dad a note.

_Dad, _

_I've gone to school early to catch up on some school work. _

_See you tonight_

_Meg _

She grabbed her bike and rode to her boyfriend Mike's house. Almost automatically she dumped the bike behind a bush down the side of the house and climbed to the top of the fence dividing his house and the next door neighbours, using it as leverage to leap up onto the second story roof. She scurried over the roof to Mike's window and pulled it open, slipping through the small gap and into his room.

Michael Summers was what some would call a loner. Despite his sandy blonde hair, bright green eyes and great body most girls at school turned a blind eye to him, knowing that he was secluded. This is one of the things which made Meg so attracted to him, his original personality and interests.

She scanned his room, a sense of familiarity coming over her as she noted each of his band posters. The Beatles, Kings of Leon and Suede graced his walls, photos of him and Meg around his desk. Meg walked up to the side of Mike's bed, curling in to side snugly beside him. He stretched and moved to wrap his arms around her.

'Morning, baby,' he whispered sleepily into her hair. 'It's early.'

'I wanted to see you,' she replied, turning to face him. A smile graced his lips, though his eyes were still closed. She nuzzled her head in under his chin and wrapped her arms around his bare torso.

'Are you alright?' he asked, leaning back slightly to get a look at her expression, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. He cupped her chin and lifted her head to meet her eye line.

'What's wrong, Meg?' He asked.

'I just missed you, I suppose,' she mumbled. 'I feel like I never get to see you anymore now that mum…' She turned away and he wrapped his arms around her once more, pulling her body flush against his. He kissed the spot behind her ear softly.

'I'm sorry, babe,' he whispered into her ear. 'I'm sorry you had to go through that.'

'I'm worried about dad,' she said quietly, resting her hands on his forearms that encircled her waist. She felt him nod behind her. 'I mean, he never talks about it and I just feel like he's ignoring us kids. I know it's hard for him, but Luce, Katie and Ollie need him. _I_ need him.'

'I know,' he replied in that soothing tone of his. She turned in his arms to face him, reaching up to run her hands through the soft hair at the nape of his neck.

'I think you should meet him,' she said and Mike nodded, but his expression tensed. Meg noticed this. 'He'll want to meet you!'

'He doesn't know about me! How do you think he'll respond when you're like; "By the way Dad I've been seeing this guy for nearly two years now, sorry I forgot to mention it."'

'I know how to talk to him,' Meg said. 'And I'm seventeen, what can he do about it? He must have seen you at mum's funeral.'

'Meg, he was barely there, I'm not sure he would have noticed if the President was there!' She nodded, sadness overcoming her face. 'Babe, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that.'

'I just want him to be happy!' she said, cursing the tear that rolled down her cheek. He wiped it patiently away with the pad of his thumb before kissing her gently on the lips.

'I Love you,' he whispered quietly as they pulled apart. 'And if you want me to meet your Dad then I will.' Meg smiled.

'That means you're going to have to meet Parker,' she said, a wild grin on her face. 'He told me when I was younger that my first boyfriend would have to face him.'

'Don't make me reconsider,' he chuckled. She smiled and pulled him closer, breathing in his unique scent.

'What would I do without you?' she asked, rubbing her hand over his taught abdominals. He gasped slightly.

'I dunno,' he replied in a husky voice before pulling her in for a deep kiss, lifting one of her legs to hook her thigh around his waist as he began to reach his hand under her shirt. She kissed back with passion, thrusting her tongue into his mouth as she reached around his back to feel his back muscles bunch under her touch. They were so engrossed by each other that they didn't notice as Mike's door opened and his mother walked into the room.

'Michael!' she yelled and Meg and Mike flew apart, both jumping off the bed. Mike stood in front of Meg while she arranged her shirt and zipped up her jeans, which he had somehow managed to undo.

'Mum, it's not what you think,' Mike said hesitantly.

'It's exactly what I think!' Mike's mum yelled, gesturing between the two of them. 'I thought I raised you better Michael.'

'Mum, we're in love,' Mike said quietly.

'What's your name, girl?' Mike's mum asked Meg.

'Meghan Brennan-Booth,' Meg replied.

'Brennan-Booth?' she scoffed. 'Your father is the one with five children? Works with the FBI?'

'Yes,' Meg replied, prouder than she had intended it.

'I can't imagine that would bring in much money-' she began but Mike stepped forward, cutting her off.

'Mum!' he said, angry. 'enough!'

'I simply saying, Michael that with five children, it's hard to-'

'That's enough!' Mike yelled, immediately losing his usually calm persona. 'You do not get to talk to Meg like that!'

'How dare you talk to me like that!' Mike's mother yelled. 'Your father and I have given you a home, given you everything you wanted! And you turn out just like your brother, a disappointment!' Mike expression fell and Meg had a arm wrapped around him in an instant. Mike's twenty year old brother, Ed had died of a drug overdose just after they had started dating. Mike's head fell and his shoulders hunched over.

'I can't live here anymore mum,' he said, his voice low. 'Not with you judging everything I do, comparing me to Ed every second of the day. I'm not him, mum! I'm not going to do that!' Mike began to go around his bedroom throwing stuff into a duffel bag, mumbling to his mum about her smothering him. He pulled on a shirt and turned to face her.

'I've left school now, mum! I'm an adult! I can do what I want and yet you insist on directing my life for me! I can't take it anymore!' He stopped, zipping up his bag and turning to his next to empty room. 'I'll be back for the rest.'

Mrs Summers looked angry more than upset and just blinked in annoyance as Meg and Mike walked past her and down the stairs, out of the front door.

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Meg and Mike arrived at Meg's house just after eight in the morning.

'This wasn't how I was planning for you to meet my dad,' Meg muttered when they reached the front door. Mike just smiled and wrapped an arm around her before dropping it at his side. Meg opened the door to find the usual chaos of the morning. Katie and Lucy were eating breakfast while watching TV, Parker and Ollie were no doubt still asleep and Booth was standing in the kitchen absently chewing on a piece of toast.

'Meg!' he said as she walked in, clearly in need for a distraction. 'I thought you went to school?' His expression turned from happiness to confusion to slight anger as he saw Mike walk in behind her holding a duffel bag.

'Dad, this is Mike,' she said quietly. Mike smiled nervously. 'Mike, this is my Dad, Seeley.'

'You can call me Agent Booth,' Booth said as he shook Mike's hand.

'Dad!' Meg exclaimed, more winy than she had intended. 'Don't be ridiculous! Mike, you can call him Seeley.' Meg shot her dad a warning glare.

'So, Mike, you are Meg's…friend…?' he asked unsubtly.

'He's my boyfriend, dad,' Meg said bluntly. Booth looked stuck for words.

'Boyfriend?' Meg heard Parker ask with genuine confusion as he walked into the kitchen, hair ruffled from sleep, his pyjama bottoms hanging loosely on his hips.

'You've never mentioned a boyfriend,' Booth said, jaw stiff.

'Yeah,' Parker said, standing next to Booth. 'You've never mentioned a boyfriend.' The expressions of the Booth men were identical, confusion and anger riddled into their features.

'How long have you been together?' Booth asked.

'Two years,' Meg said quietly.

'Two years!' Booth threw his hands up in shock. 'And you've never told me, never told us? Does anyone in this family know? Does Lucy know?' Meg shook her head.

'Did mum know?' Parker asked, pain itching its way into his features. 'Did Bones know that you were keeping this from us?'

'Yes,' Meg replied. 'She did. She understood that I needed something to myself! We have no secrets in this family, no privacy and I just needed to have an outlet. And Mike was there for me and whenever I needed to forget…'

'Please just stop talking!' Parker said, his head in his hands. 'Before I begin to misconstrue what you're saying, oh wait, I already have. Are you sleeping with him?'

'Parker!' Both Meg and Booth exclaimed. Mike was bright red.

'What does it matter?' she asked, tears forming in her eyes. 'I love him and that's all that should matter to you!' She wrapped an arm around Mike's waist and he put a comforting arm around her shoulders. 'Mum understood! God, why can't you? I know that you're having trouble with mum not being around, Dad, but I need you to at least _try_ to understand!'

'I can't believe you kept this from us!' Parker nearly yelled. 'After all we've been through, you've always told me that I'm your best friend, the one you can talk to and now you come and tell me this?'

'Park, please,' Meg begged.

'I think you should go, Mike,' Booth said quietly.

'No, Dad!' Meg yelled, tears rolling down her cheeks. 'I knew you wouldn't understand! Why do you think I haven't told you? I knew you would act this way! You try to act like she would Dad, but you can't! You can't be Dad _and_ Mum! You may be being a good father, but you're being a hopeless Dad. And by the way, Mike's staying here for a while.'

'You can't just invite boys to live in this house!' Booth yelled.

'Just because you lost the love of your life doesn't mean that you have to take mine away from me!' Meg yelled and instantly covered her mouth, horrified at what she had just said. Booth opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, his heart breaking all over again at his daughter's words.

Meg grabbed Mike's hand and nearly ran to her room, closing the door behind her and leaning against the door.

'I'm sorry,' she said to Mike and he stepped forward, taking her into his arms, kissing her hair.

'Don't be sorry, Meg,' he whispered into her ear.

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**I know that Mike's mother was OTT, but I know mother's like that! Anyway, if you want to review, go for it, I'd love to hear what you think. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. The New Centre

**Here's the next chap, sorry its been so long. I wrote this in a bit of a hurry, half a while ago and the rest quite recently so hopefully you like it!**

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**_Parker_**

Parker stood outside Meg's room pacing, thinking about what to do. He was hurt. He couldn't deny that. He had thought that he and Meg talked about everything. He leant against the wall and sighed before moving closer to the door as he heard Mike and Meg talking inside.

'It's like they don't understand me at all,' he heard Meg sob.

'They're your family,' Mike replied. 'They love you.'

'I wish we could run away,' Meg said.

'You know that you can't do that to your Dad,' Mike said. 'And Parker, Lucy, Katie and Ollie, how would they be without you?'

'I spose. I just want them to accept me and you. And I don't want Dad to be mad at me. I shouldn't have said that. I feel horrible and Parker just seemed so…upset.'

'I know, baby, come here.'

Parker knocked on the door softly before going in to find Meg standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

'Meg, can we talk?' he asked.

'Where's Dad?' she asked.

'He's gone, I think he went to work,' Parker replied.

'He's never going to talk to me again,' Meg said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

'Of course he is,' Parker reassured her, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her. 'Mike,' Parker said, looking away from Meg. 'You'll be sleeping in my room, it's just opposite Meg's room, so do you want to go and get settled?' Mike nodded, taking the hint and walking out of the room with his bag. Parker closed the door behind him and leant against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Meg looked at his stance and was instantly reminded of her dad. She sat on her bed cross-legged and sighed.

'Why didn't you tell me?' he asked, his eyebrows drawn together and his jaw set in a rare frown. His goofy smile had disappeared and at that point Meg couldn't ignore the resemblance between her older brother and dad when they were mad.

'I guess I didn't think it was a big deal,' Meg shrugged. 'I mean we started as friends and I just wanted to have a friend that you guys wouldn't pick apart…and then we became more and I…just wanted to keep him to myself.' She looked down at her hands, feeling oddly childish.

'But we've always told each other everything,' Parker mumbled.

'I know, I know,' Meg sighed. 'I should have told you.'

'I told you about Bec and Stacy and…Jen and-'

'Yeah I get it,' Meg interrupted, chuckling. 'But I didn't want you and Dad to make up an opinion of him. I didn't want him to be pushed away.'

'I shouldn't have asked if you had slept with him in front of Dad,' Parker said quietly.

'You're right,' she frowned. 'You shouldn't. Don't get Dad thinking more of it than he has to.'

'Are you going to tell me?' he asked.

'You're not Luce!' Meg said, mocking annoyance. 'I'm not going to tell my _brother_ if I've had sex with my boyfriend or not.' Parker cringed.

'But you have?' he prompted.

'Fine, yes, we have,' Meg admitted. Parker's eyebrows drew together once more as he frowned. 'You _can't_ say anything to Mike about this! Or Dad, I know you guys have your guys talks, but you _cannot_ mention this to him, or anyone else for that matter.'

'Fine, but I'm not happy about this!' he mumbled. 'You shouldn't have gone and…done this…'

'Mum knew,' Meg said bluntly.

'She knew?' Parker said, shocked. 'You…did this more than a year ago! I can't believe this!'

'What did you want me to do, Parker?' Meg was frustrated now. 'Come up to you and say, "Hey, Park, I'm thinking of having sex with the boyfriend you don't know about"?' Parker scowled.

'I spose you're right,' he said. 'I'm sorry I asked.'

'Are we okay?' she asked quietly.

'Yeah, we're good,' Parker said, sighing. He looked down at his feet, his blonde hair falling over his face as he thought. 'Come here, little sis,' he said quietly, opening his arms. She fell against him, burying her head against his shoulder.

'I'm sorry,' she mumbled against his shirt.

'It's alright, Meg,' he whispered, gently stoking her back. 'Just promise not to keep these things from me. We need to stick together, us oldies.' Meg chuckled, pulling back to look at him.

'When will things go back to normal?' she asked.

'When Dad stops grieving,' Parker replied sadly. 'For now we need to keep the family together. The centre right?' He put his hand up, lacing their fingers together.

'The centre,' she repeated. And as Seeley Booth watched through the open door he couldn't stop the tear from rolling down his cheek at the replication of him and his partner. He briefly wondered where his son, with his features and height and his and Brennan's daughter, with her mother's beauty, picked up the mannerisms of their parents. This thought was however pushed away as he remembered the hundreds of times his Bones had reassured him with a simple lacing of their fingers.

'The centre,' she would whisper and every time he knew that everything was going to be alright.

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**Thanks for reading! Review if you want or don't if you don't! Trust me reviewing is fun!**


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